Horse Health

Editor’s Note: Keep Focused and Stay the Course

By on • ( 26 Comments )

A few words by R.T. Fitch ~ president of Wild Horse Freedom Federation

Steens HMA wild horse family, about to be destroyed by BLM

Steens HMA wild horse family, about to be destroyed by BLM – photo by R.T. Fitch of Wild Horse Freedom Federation

It is very unusual for us not to have a daily post on SFTHH but over the past several days we have attempted to stay focused on several important Wild Horse and Burro issues and did not want to dilute the sentiment any more than was required.

Right now, there is bait trapping being conducted in the South Steens HMA in Oregon, just south of the BLM’s Hines holding facility where the Frankenstein experimental sterilizations will be taking place. Several weeks ago Carol Walker and I spent days on that HMA while she took photos of the families that were about to be torn apart and I did my usual job of taking pictures of the photographer taking pictures.

Home of BLM sterilization experiment lab at Hines, OR holding facility - photo by R.T. Fitch of Wild Horse Freedom Federation

Home of BLM sterilization experiment lab at Hines, OR holding facility – photo by R.T. Fitch of Wild Horse Freedom Federation

Likewise, we visited the very place where these experiments are going to take place, if not already underway, and reported how the BLM had already shipped most of the geldings out and staged all the fillies and mares by ages and stages of pregnancy for theses brutal experiments.

Next week the BLM will conduct helicopter roundups in the Three Fingers HMA in the Vale area of Oregon for the exclusive purpose of supplying more “fresh” mares to experiment with and torture. It would be our hope that many observers are present as it will not stop the barbarism but the conduct of the contractor is always more subdued when multiple camera lens’ are pointed at them.

Carol’s report: https://rtfitchauthor.com/2016/07/01/gruesome-wild-mare-sterilization-experiments-by-blm-oregon-state-university-begin-next-month/

Three Fingers Info: https://rtfitchauthor.com/2016/07/11/feds-plan-to-capture-oregon-wild-horses-for-inhumane-experiments/

Likewise we are concerned about the transfer of 1,000 long-term holding horses from the Triple U Ranch in South Dakota. Why? Because the long term contractor is Spur Livestock who are on record, we exposed this two years ago, as selling wild horses that we were being paid to care for to known kill buyers. The BLM scoffed at our documentation and reports…This also bears watching and several questions should be asked:

  • Has an EA been done for the new ranch/location and if not, why?
  • The article discusses moving geldings and mares, BLM records indicate that only geldings were on the former ranch so where did the mares come from, unless geldings can produce them, somehow?

Relocation Information: https://rtfitchauthor.com/2016/07/18/1000-wild-horses-in-holding-being-transferred-by-alleged-blm-slaughter-dealers/

So we have a lot on our plates and much work is being conducted behind the scenes, but your interest, help in getting the information out and calls are all bright stars of light as far as the wild horses and burros are concerned.

Regardless of your level of involvement, everyone who feels care and concern for the issue is important in securing the future heatlh, safety and welfare of our wild equines on their rightful, public lands.

Keep the faith.

Categories: Horse Health, Horse News, Wild Burros, Wild Horses/Mustangs

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26 replies »

    • As reported by one of our watchdogs:

      “The House Interior Appropriations bill was passed by Congress July 14th 231 to 196, with Stewart’s slaughter amendment intact:

      https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/5538/all-actions

      07/14/2016-1:50pm On passage Passed by the Yeas and Nays: 231 – 196 (Roll no. 477).
      Type of Action: Floor Consideration
      Action By: House of Representatives

      But the bad news don’t end there: The Polis amendment to stop the Hines surgical sterilization project (HA 1381) was simply withdrawn after he made some statement in defense of wild horses and Calvert, the right-wind head honcho of the Interior and Environment Appropriations Subcommittee, said “he will work with him” to “develop humane solutions” (such as mare mutilation, selling them for slaughter in Mexico via Tom Davis or creating a flotilla of mobile slaughterhouses using beat up winnebago RVs with a hoist attached on its back):

      07/14/2016-12:06am H.Amdt.1381 By unanimous consent, the Polis amendment was withdrawn.
      Type of Action: Floor Consideration
      Action By: House of Representatives

      While Polis coming out to defend wild horses by introducing this amendment was something commendable, I simply cannot believe he was so naive and foolish to withdraw it thinking Calvert, an armchair cowboy that looks like one of those Trent Loos clones, will ever do anything for the horses that doesn’t imply butchering them.

      The bill now will be reported to the Senate where it might be further modified by the senate’s interior & envirnoment appropriations subcommittee.”

      It is our hope that the Appropriations Bill will be moved forward as a CR as it has been in the past therefore nullifying any amendments.

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  2. I still think it’s criminal that they are experimenting with these mares. 60+% of them will die in this procedure by human error and infection. Even in a sterile environment that is the mortality rate so it’s probably going to be higher. And we already know how week the blm monitors the horses in their holding pens. It’s horrible that these animals can be abused like this. These people are the today’s nazi regime. OSU is no better. I wouldn’t recommend that school to anybody that would consider going there..

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    • Mortality rate will be actually 100% since it is becoming evident tha once the experiments are over, the surviving mares are going to fall through the cracks and shipped to Canada for slaughter.

      For BLM they already are, literally, meat on the hoof (or rather on a hook); that’s why it is not phased by any arguments about too high mortality rates.

      And yes… by all means BLM is a fascistoid entity. In fact it looks like taken from the script of a campy 90’s sci-fi flick (sort of Robocop 3 or Starship Troopers).

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  3. I wish we could get a famous musician to do a benefit concert fired up by the issues these animals are facing. To be honest I have tried to get in touch with Bruce Sprinsteen; but have failed on numerous attempts. I even tried to throw a packet of our information and a rose on the stage; but I missed and it fell down into the equipment pit. A roadie picked it up and said he would give it to him. I am sure he didn’t. Just thinking about the hot weather and painful surgeries gives me the shivers. I don’t know about anyone else; but I liken these roundups to the roundups of Jews during the Hollacaust; and the subsequent sterilization experimentation done in the concentration camps by Dr. Mengale. You are right, If it seems like I am comparing horses and burros to humans. I am. To me we are all the same.
    Jagadamba Dasi

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    • I agree with you Helene. We are all the same.

      Each life matters.

      As I said in my post the BLM needs to be charged with animal cruelty. Those who dreamed up this horror are mentally ill.

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  4. It’s bad enough that blm is experimenting on field spaying of mares. That alone gives me the horrors. Have these butchers ever come out and stated why they are going to spay a pregnant mare?

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  5. Note regarding:
    “Editor’s Note: Keep Focused and Stay the Course”

    … staying focused and not giving up but have to admit the evil corruption is gigantic but each and every big or little voice and big or little deed for our wild ones is what MUST be done.

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  7. “… honor, courage, and virtue mean everything; that power and money, money and power, mean nothing; that good always triumphs over evil … A man should believe in those things because those are the things worth believing in.”
    (excerpt from movie “Secondhand Lions”)

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  9. The sociopaths at the BLM should be charged with animal cruelty for this and for the horrific round ups.

    On top of that the vets (aka Dr Frankensteins) who are performing these “experiments” names need to be known to all. They should have their license taken away and we all need to know to stay away and never let them treat our animals.

    I’m saddened and thoroughly ashamed of
    my country for treating our protected horses as if they were vermin.

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  10. Animal Legal Defense Fund

    “….animals are “sentient beings capable of experiencing pain, stress and fear,”

    The fundamental problem in seeking justice for animals is that our laws view them as mere “property.” The Animal Legal Defense Fund is working to change that. The Oregon Supreme Court just issued a landmark ruling in State v. Newcomb that will give animals more of the protections they deserve, and as one of our supporters, I wanted you to know that you helped make it happen.

    It all started with Juno, an emaciated dog seized by law enforcement. Once seized Juno received routine veterinary care which included drawing his blood for tests. However, Juno’s owner argued that because Juno is his property, the blood draw should be considered a “search” under the Oregon Constitution and Fourth Amendment, which prohibit unreasonable searches.

    We fought back, filing an amicus (“friend of the court”) brief urging the Court to consider that animals are “sentient beings capable of experiencing pain, stress and fear,” according to Oregon legislation the Animal Legal Defense Fund helped enact in 2013.

    The Court listened and rejected the owner’s argument. In a win for all animals, the Court emphasized that sentience matters in cases like these, and this dog should not be considered a mere object. The purpose of a blood test is medical diagnosis and treatment, and now investigators do not have to go through the long process of securing a separate warrant before a veterinarian can treat an abused or neglected animal that has been lawfully seized as part of a cruelty investigation.

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    • It was an astounding precedence and now will be forever used in other arguments everywhere. However, it won’t ever apply to livestock, that is until we are able to change their designation. With equines falling under that designation, sadly, we may never be able to speak in a court setting for them.

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  11. Rep. KEN CALVERTt Is an Embarrassment to California – Should He Step Down?
    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/howie-klein/rep-ken-calvert-is-an-emb_b_327679.html

    Ken Calvert, who represents a suburban Inland Empire district in southern Orange County and western Riverside County (CA-44), has been on our radar for a very long time – and yesterday’s announcement of an FBI investigation of one of California’s most incorrigible political crooks registered as more overdue than unexpected. A former real estate speculator, Calvert first came to the attention of non-political junkies when he was arrested….. (censored)

    But even before that, Congressman Calvert was involved with a series of shady real estate deals, the same pay for play scam that led to the conviction of his buddy and political ally Randy “Duke” Cunningham, and an international espionage and bribery caper in Saudi Arabia with convicted felons Cunningham and Thomas Kontogiannis.

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  12. Wouldn’t it be interesting to know what “land deals” are already being made with
    OUR PUBLIC LANDS

    UTAH
    UTAH LAND TRADE REFERRED TO ATTORNEY GENERAL FOR PROSECUTION
    Special Counsel Withholds Norton’s Probe into Whistleblower Allegations
    Posted on Dec 01, 2003
    http://www.peer.org/news/news-releases/utah-land-trade-referred-to-attorney-general-for-prosecution.html

    The U.S. Office of Special Counsel has disclosed that an investigation of a controversial land exchange involving the State of Utah found “evidence of criminal violations” that have been referred to the U.S. Attorney General but has refused to release that report, according to a letter released today by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER).

    In late November, the Department of Interior submitted a long-delayed investigative report to the Office Special Counsel into charges by a Bureau of Land Management appraiser, Kent Wilkinson, that a supposedly equal land exchange would shortchange taxpayers by more than $100 million. Despite a general policy that the whistleblower be allowed to comment on reports, OSC will not release the report to Mr. Wilkinson because, according to a letter dated November 21 —
    “…pursuant to 5 U.S.C. § 1213(f), when evidence of a criminal violation is obtained by the agency and referred to the Attorney General, the report is not transmitted to the whistleblower. The Department’s report in this case states that evidence of criminal violations were referred to the Attorney general, thus, we cannot transmit the report to you.”

    This July, Interior Secretary Gale Norton released to selected reporters an Inspector General investigation that found “improper actions” by political appointees and senior officials in the Office of the Solicitor and BLM. That IG investigation report not only confirmed Kent Wilkinson’s charges but also found a subsequent attempt by top officials to mislead Congress as to the real terms of the land exchange with the State of Utah. At the same time, Interior notified Utah that it was rescinding the trade even though it had already been ratified by the state legislature and had passed the U.S. House of Representatives

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  13. “They” keep hoping that we will forget…..

    U.S. PLANS TO GIVE AWAY LARGE OIL AND COAL HOLDINGS IN UTAH
    Federal Minerals Expert Criticizes Proposed Utah Land Exchange
    Posted on Aug 05, 2002
    http://www.peer.org/news/news-releases/u.s.-plans-to-give-away-large-oil-and-coal-holdings-in-utah.html

    Federal officials are poised to give away significant petroleum and coal holdings as part of a controversial land exchange between the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the State of Utah, according to an agency memo released today by the Western Land Exchange Project (WLXP) and Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER).

    The land exchange, which BLM land appraisers and other staff say would shortchange the federal treasury by millions of dollars, is embodied in a bill introduced by Utah Rep. Chris Cannon. In a July 25 memo, BLM minerals specialist James Kohler states that his agency is offering to the State of Utah land “known to contain significant mineral resources” but which Interior Department negotiators have said has “no or nominal mineral potential.”

    Mr. Kohler cites several examples where sizeable oil, gas, coal and tar sands deposits are completely ignored or substantially devalued by federal officials handling the land swap, even though the exchange is supposed to bring equal value to the State and the federal government. “The Department of the Interior has repeatedly employed a highly politicized, back-of-the-envelope approach to negotiated land trades,” stated Janine Blaeloch, Director of the Western Land Exchange Project.

    Blaeloch’s organization forwarded questions raised by BLM appraisers to the House Resources Committee, which has since tabled the bill (HR 4968) until after the August recess. “Interior has abandoned its duty to protect the interests of the public.”

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  14. The Dog-Whistle Politics of Seizing and Selling American Lands and Energy Resources in the West
    https://www.americanprogressaction.org/issues/green/report/2015/10/27/124229/the-dog-whistle-politics-of-seizing-and-selling-american-lands-and-energy-resources-in-the-west/

    The idea that the federal government should transfer ownership of public lands to state governments or sell them off to private interests has percolated on the conservative fringe for decades. The concept briefly gained attention during the Sagebrush Rebellion-an anti-government movement in the West in the 1980s-but has not been able to overcome criticism that it is unconstitutional, fiscally irresponsible, and environmentally reckless.

    This concept is also deeply unpopular. Most voters in the Western states oppose the idea of transferring or privatizing America’s public lands and energy resources. An October 2015 poll of likely voters in Colorado and Nevada-commissioned by the Outdoor Industry Association and conducted by a bipartisan polling team-found that respondents opposed “giving the (Colorado/Nevada) state government control over national public lands” by a roughly 2 to 1 margin. When presented with arguments for and against transferring public lands to the states, 62 percent of Colorado voters-including 54 percent of Colorado Republicans-agreed with opponents that if national public lands were transferred to state ownership, the state of Colorado would “not have the funding to maintain these lands, much less fight wild fires, which can cost over one hundred million dollars per year. Some places [would] be auctioned off to the highest bidder, limiting our ability and that of future generations to enjoy these places.” These results are consistent with polling that the Center for American Progress commissioned in 2014, which found that-when presented with arguments from both sides of the issue-6 in 10 voters in Western states agree that having their state assume responsibility for the management of national public lands would be unfair to taxpayers.

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  15. Just (im)pure evil!!! There’s no need to be doing this. I agree with the posters above – we are all living creatures, and all life matters! There’s nothing to brag about, with a lot of human behavior, as in these vile procedures against our horses, who cannot defend themselves. Government agencies cannot be objective, and only ‘follow orders’. Because they are too afraid and/or too self-involved with jockeying for their own position in the hierarchy, not to. A shameful mess – bison, wild horses, wolves, and grizzlies on the block next – and not even for the majority of the public’s interests!

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  16. I am so disgusted, you have no idea. The excuses for going along with the gov’t hierarchy that I read, ‘oh I’ve got kids, it’s my career, I’ve worked all my life for this job, let us work for change within the (corrupt) system’, just plain nauseating. You can’t work for change in a corrupt system. Their needs come first, and a truckload of mares to be tortured doesn’t matter to them. It’s a good thing it isn’t still the Nazi era or these people would justify that to feed their kids, work their way up to commandant, etc. What a joke they are!

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  17. Honest to God I have no idea what to say to stop this barbarism. BLM shouldn’t be allowed to go forward because they say so. This is EXPERIMENTAL surgery something our horses should NEVER EVER be subjected to. The person who first thought this up should be neutered. With the same paralytic drug they’ll useonnthe horses. And then lock them in a pen for the next 30 days. No vacation, no treats. Same water to drink as the horses. Same medical care. No phone and no internet.

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